India
Can't Bat, Can't Bowl, Can't Field: Is this the worst Australian cricket team ever?
Stuart Law. Darren Lehmann. Jamie Cox. Phil Jaques. Brad Hodge. Michael di Venuto. Chris Rogers. Martin Love. Tom Moody. Nine men who count as some of the unluckiest cricketers ever… Continue reading
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The pleasure of reading Rumer Godden’s India
Rumer Godden’s prose tugs two ways at once. It is subtle, descriptive, and light, but also direct and unashamed of being turned inside out until darkness consumes it, rendering what… Continue reading
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Welcome to India, Mr Camerooon: how the PM fared with the local media
How did David Cameron fare with the local media on this week’s trip to India? The third day of his trip attracted the most headlines, when he visited Amritsar. If Mr… Continue reading
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David Cameron’s Immigration Reverse Ferret
If you seek cheap entertainment, the sight of government ministers defending their immigration policies to the foreign press is always worth a sardonic chuckle or two. And, lo, it came… Continue reading
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Cricket’s the loser
Cricket glorifies some cheats. W.G. Grace often batted on after being clean bowled; such was the public demand to watch him. Douglas Jardine’s bodyline tactics revolutionised fast bowling: eventually making… Continue reading
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I spy spice
Two thousand spice lovers crossed the river last night for the enormous British Curry Awards at Battersea Evolution. Between dousing my tongue with milk to calm the fiery dishes, I… Continue reading
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Boris in Bollywood
So Cameron is making his mark on the EU budget, Gove has caused a stir with his Leveson remarks, and Osborne is prepping for his Autumn Statement. No matter. As… Continue reading
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Very, Very Special: An Appreciation of VVS Laxman - Spectator Blogs
And then there was one. Of the four princes who made India the world’s best side to watch in the first decade of the 21st century, only Sachin Tendulkar –… Continue reading
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Pranab Mukherjee’s potential as president
Congress party Pranab Mukherjee’s victory in the Indian presidential election this week allowed the party to exhale for a nanosecond amid the gloom of stalled economic reform and political paralysis. As… Continue reading
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Mukherjee can’t change India’s political paralysis
The Indian president lives in a Lutyens palace formerly occupied by the country’s viceroys, replete with ballroom, cinema, and Mughal gardens. I’ve been inside to interview the current incumbent, Pratibha… Continue reading
0 Comments100 x 100
Well he’s done it. At last. Surprisingly, this was Sachin Tendulkar’s first ODI century against Bangladesh. One hundred international hundreds – 51 in test cricket and 49 in the abbreviated… Continue reading
0 CommentsRahul Dravid’s Exceptionalism
I wrote about the great man here, but cricket-minded readers should also scamper to Cricinfo to read Ed Smith’s reflection on his former Kent team-mate. This is the telling passage:… Continue reading
4 CommentsFarewell, Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid’s retirement, announced with typical elegance today, is not just a sad business because it means we’ll never see the great technician again but because it is the beginning… Continue reading
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Storm in an Indian teacup
So, does India want the UK’s aid or not? If you believe the Indian finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, the funds are unnecessary, ‘peanuts’ even. The Daily Telegraph reports that British… Continue reading
34 CommentsA Dangerous Summer
This England cricket team is rather like the great German football sides of the past: a collective rather greater than the sum of its parts. Hard, determined, efficient, ruthless, organised… Continue reading
11 CommentsIan Bell and the Spirit of Cricket
On balance, I agree with Sir Geoffrey: Ian Bell was out and the Indians had nothing for which to feel ashamed. On the contrary, it is England whose reputations are,… Continue reading
13 CommentsSlums Are A Feature of Success
Meanwhile and continuing our population theme it may be worth spending a moment on population density in the developing world too. Commenting on this post Axstane writes: This logic tells… Continue reading
9 CommentsReasons for optimism in the Middle East
As the Libya crisis drags out, and Bashar al-Assad orders a crackdown in Syria, many have begun to doubt whether the changes seen in Tunisia and Egypt will actually spread… Continue reading
37 CommentsBrits want to give money abroad – but not necessarily via the government
"A well-targeted aid budget is essential if Britain is to punch above its weight on the world stage." That’s how Tim Montgomerie finishes his neat defence (£) of British aid… Continue reading
40 CommentsAid to India to be replaced with pro-growth help
How to manage Britain’s aid to India? The fast-rising country has a space programme, costing nearly the same as Britain gives in annual aid. To many people, that is reason… Continue reading
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